In these arms
by Naidoo
Summary: Morgan wakes up all alone after his night with Penelope and decides something has to change. Companion-piece to 'Hold it against me'. Rating may or may not change.  It's important to read the post-A/Ns and adviceable to have read the original story.
1. in these arms

_A/N: So when I wrote the 'first part' - Hold it against me - I certainly had other ideas for the 'second part' then what it turned out to be. This will be very different from what I have actually ever written for reasons that will be explained at the end of this chapter. _

* * *

When tomorrow came, Morgan had to realize that he was alone. No Penelope next to him, nothing to hold on to. And for a moment he wondered whether last night was just a very vivid dream, a trick his mind played on him. He always had wanted Penelope, for years, but something always happened that made him pull back before anything could really happen. Lynch, frat-rules, their jobs, Tamara Barnes – just to name a few.

Surprisingly he had always assumed if the day ever should come when they would jump each other, it would be him jumping her, making sure he was all she needed and nothing more. So when it was actually her who decided their time finally had come did leave a certain effect on him. He knew for a matter of fact that Penelope could be a damn tease, but that was all. She was a tease, he knew when it actually came to the action following her words, she wasn't quite as confident in her abilities, her appeal, her hot-factor. It didn't matter how often he had told her over the years that she was gorgeous and hot in his opinion, she somehow always had her doubts, second-guessing or just filed it under 'best friends pick-me-up'. So seeing her going right for what she wanted, without any nice-talk, just straight to the point was appealing as hell and it made him wonder what it would take to get her to do exactly the same again. But she had left, before he even was awake, which was not a good sign in his experience.

The fact that it usually was the way around, that he left his 'conquest' without any second guessing and any guilt didn't leave him unaffected either. Leave it to Penelope to come and turn the tables. Not that she was a conquest. Judging by how last night went _he_ was the conquest.

She once told him she never had a one-night-stand, but looking around his empty bedroom now, Morgan had to admit she certainly seemed to have the basics pretty well down already.

For a moment he wondered whether he should call her, at least get this out of the way, because one thing he knew already was that if they wouldn't talk about this before Monday, the new week would start off rather awkward for both of them. He wanted to know whether this was just a one-time thing, or whether there was a chance for more.

He didn't want to seem desperate – although he was, and it was just less than a day since they did what they did –, he also didn't want to corner her by making her feel like she now needed to sort this all out, but he sure as hell wanted to know what this all was or is about. He knew Lynch was no longer in her life, since a couple of weeks actually, so he couldn't be the reason for this sudden change in approach.

For the first time in his life Derek Morgan was unsure of what to do when it came to a woman. He wanted to make this right, not screw up his maybe only chance even before he got that far, but he was definitely out of his comfort zone. Any other woman he would have known perfectly what to do or not, how to court her and win her over, but Penelope Garcia wasn't _any other woman._ She was the only one he actually ever wanted, the only one he could see settling down with and for.

And settling down her certainly wanted. As well as giving his mother and the grandchildren she had been pushing for over the years. Problem was right now just how to get to that part?

_If you were in these arms tonight  
I'd hold you, I'd need you  
I'd get down on my knees for you  
And make everything alright  
If you were in these arms  
I'd love you, I'd please you  
I'd tell you that I'd never leave you  
And love you till the end of time  
If you were in these arms tonight ( Bon Jovi - In these arms)  
_

_

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_post - A/N: okay, here's the deal - and its success will depend on you guys and your participation - this will get updated once a week. _

_Here's the catch: After each chapter I'll put a poll up on my profile where you can vote for what happens next. You can vote as often as you want. And I try to write a chapter with the answer that got the most votes. The poll will be up for seven days, but I'll probably go with whatever answer has the most votes by Friday - so after five days. So basically I give you control of the story. You pick the storyline and it's development - and I write it (hopefully). So, let's see how that will work out. And thank you in advance. I'll try to give you as many 'logical' options as possible, but if any of you guys have an idea that they think should be included with the options PM me and I certainly can include it in the poll when i can see it being written somehow...  
_


	2. it's now or never

_A/N: I have to say I was surprised with the option voted for most. That leaves me with one of the following ideas: Either you want this story to be over soon, or you want this to move to a certain direction quickly which'll require an M rating or you just love confrontation in general. I haven't really made up my mind yet which one it is. LOL. Thanks to anyone who has enough faith on me for making this work. :) Will put the same remarks at the end of each chapter just in case someone doesn't get how it works and doesn't want to go all the way back to chapter 1, in case you'll wonder. I also decided I will keep the poll a blind one, simply for the reason that if I make it no longer one then people will know what will happen next, which I'd like to avoid... :) _

* * *

He knew he could either stare at the spot he assumed she had been laying on a few hours ago or get a grip on himself and this resolved to have her back in that exact same spot rather sooner than later. Problem was just that he didn't really know what to do to make this situation better.

He knew Penelope for what felt like a lifetime and he never had figured her for the running kind of girl, but running she did. And he had to admit she wasn't too bad at it. In all his life Derek Morgan never really had to chase after a girl. They usually fell for his charm right on the spot, He never had to run after someone. Leave it to Penelope to come and change things. But then again she certainly was worth the chase, that he was sure about.

Deciding he needed to go for a run to get his head cleared and thinking about possible options, he got into his running gear, got Clooney's leash and took his overgrown puppy with him for a morning run.

An hour later, when he came back, he felt as good as he hadn't felt in quite a while, energized, pumped up and just ready for anything, but still quite helpless in regards of what to do with his best friend. Morgan knew he could simply choose the lazy option, waiting it out till Monday, when they inevitably would run into each other at work. But he knew, he wanted closure long before then, preferably wanted her back in his bed by then as well.

He knew he could call her, but chances she might not even pick up when seeing his name on Caller ID were given. That only left him with getting over to her place. And somehow that thought sounded a lot scarier than most things in his life. It wasn't as if he hated confrontations, but this was so complicated now – actually it wasn't, but that was just his opinion. He certainly didn't regret sleeping with Penelope, no, if anything it had been a dream come true – or rather a fantasy. But of course he himself didn't know what she thought of this. Maybe to her it was just a drunken misstep, something she'd rather forget about. But in order to know that he would need to get to her place. And the longer he waited the more questions seemed to form in his head about whether it really was the smartest idea. Maybe she felt then all of a sudden pressured into anything – which he of course didn't want either.

He also knew the longer he'd wait the higher the chances that she wasn't even home anymore, went out with friends, for shopping, for food. So he'd better get his ass in gear and get moving before he'd miss her and this would drag on forever.

He just needed a shower and then decided he would head over to her, maybe get something for lunch for the both of them on the way and just hope for the best. And maybe it was good that things had come the way they were now. He started wondering quite some time ago that he finally should make any kind of move, let her know he was interested in her in more ways than just her best friend. The thing with Kevin Lynch had gone on for far too long in his opinion, and the last thing he needed now was another guy moving in on her.

When he eventually made his way over to her he noticed straight away Ester being parked up front, which indicated that she hopefully was home and he didn't need to worry.

Morgan had a key to her place, but somehow felt it was maybe not the best idea to use it right now. He didn't want to come across as someone who would just show up in a situation they found themselves in right now. He wanted to give her space, the feeling that whatever would happen now was up to her and he had no expectations whatsoever. Of course he knew about his favorite outcome, but if she saw this as a mistake, something that shouldn't have happened in the first place, Morgan would respect that. He didn't know how to ever be normal around her again – at least normal to their standards -, not after he was inside her and knew just how perfect this all felt, but he would respect whatever she wanted.

Now if he would tell himself that same line another thirty times he might even believe it. Of course he wanted her to break down, confessing his undying love and they would be happily together for the rest of their lives, but he needed to prepare himself for the possible, the option that she didn't want him the way he wanted her. And he had a good few flights of stairs to force it into himself, just in case.

He got lucky that one of Penelope's neighbors just left the building and he didn't need to ring up to her place to get inside the building. Maybe giving her as little advance warning as possible was a good thing. He still hadn't entirely figured out what to say to her, seeing that he wanted both, to get his point and intensions across but not give her the feeling she was now cornered and there was nothing else left for her. And seeing that he wasn't the magician with words as people always made him out to be, this was a whole lot more difficult.

Of course he could talk himself into probably most bedrooms across the city without any problem, but that usually had no meaning. Every conversation with a little bit of depth and meaning behind it he sucked at – a fact that Penelope always had found rather entertaining. Sure he was suave, smooth-talking and confident, but when it came to Penelope somehow other things took over that blocked the part of his brain to be able to communicate and made him act some days like a complete fool. A fool for her.

When he made it up the last flight of stairs he stood in front of his best friend's door, looking at it for a few moments, raising his hand to knock and hoping the best.

* * *

_post-A/N:_ _After each chapter I'll put a poll up on my profile where you can vote for what happens next. You can vote as often as you want. And I try to write a chapter with the answer that got the most votes. The poll will be up for five days, but if there is a certain trend very strongly presented I might go ahead and write a chapter before already. So basically I give you control of the story. You pick the storyline and it's development - and I write it (hopefully). So, let's see how that will work out. And thank you in advance. I'll try to give you as many 'logical' options as possible, but if any of you guys have an idea that they think should be included with the options PM me and I certainly can include it in the poll when i can see it being written somehow..._


	3. she's a little runaway

_A/N: Somehow this story has taken on a life of its own. I have no idea where this will head or what will be up in two chapters - mainly due to me not being able to predict what people will vote for next. LOL Thank you guys so very much for the active voting, for making your voice heard and making my life a bit harder. LOL But hey, not complaining, after all I was the one with the idea of letting you guys vote. You rock!_

* * *

Derek was standing in front of Penelope's door for what seemed hours, not sure whether this was really in the end the best thing to do. He was a man that never had been scared of many things in his life and it certainly was a feeling that scared himself within itself. He was scared of losing her, of this – whatever they did the other night – would ruin them, their close bond, their friendship. But standing in front of her door for a little while he felt like he was finally ready. Raising his hand, to knock on her front door he was surprised when the door all of a sudden opened just before his knuckles could make contact with the wood of her door.

Penelope looked at him as surprised as he felt in that moment. One look at her, looking her up and down and he knew she certainly had not expected him and certainly did not open the door because she had seen him. She actually looked like she was just about to leave. _Perfect timing_.

He saw the short, black dress she was wearing that clung to every delicious curve of her body so perfectly and ended just at the right spot, making it still look classic. He saw the never-ending, long legs of her, peeking from under a short, lacy rim and the deep red stilettos she was wearing. Red stilettos that matched her deep, full, ruby red lips, which curved right now in somewhat of a confused smile. Her shoulders were bare, displaying so wonderfully the softest skin he'd ever felt under his touch. There was a think, chunky necklace around her neck, its pendant nesting comfortably between her generous cleavage which was more than well displayed in the dress she wore. A dress Morgan would be just too glad to get her out of – right now.

"Morgan… what… what are you doing here?" she asked a bit surprised, knowing fully well, _why_ he was here. She just hadn't expected him that soon. She had thought it'd take him a few more days cooling off period.

"I … um…" he started, feeling his fear coming back. Seeing her dressed like this, ready to leave for god knows what - or whom – certainly did nothing to restore any of his usual confidence. If anything it weakened it even more. He wasn't expecting _this_. But then again what was he expecting? That he'd find her curled up in bed, crying after him, after what they had done?

"I wanted to see whether we are cool," he finally decided on saying, deciding that right now was definitely neither the right moment, nor the right place to start a conversation about last night. Not when half her neighbors could hear everything he had to say and everything he would say.

Penelope just nodded at him warily, still looking curiously, if not even doubtful at him. She knew something was up, she always did – that was the amazing thing about their friendship, one look and the other one knew right away what was going on. Morgan hoped she wouldn't be able to see through him this time _that _easily.

"Yes, we are… um … good," she said, and somehow Morgan couldn't shake the feeling of her sounding slightly disappointed. But then again that could also have been his mind, playing tricks on him, his mind _wishing_ she sounded disappointed.

"I… um… good. That's good. I guess I choose a bad moment to come by, seeing that you seem to be on your way out," he said, pointing up and down.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I was just on my way out…"

And he certainly did not like that answer very much. Not when she looked like that. Sexy as well and hot, giving any of the girls Morgan ever met a very good run for their money. Not when he wasn't with her. Not when she was meeting someone who wasn't him. Not when he himself just had her a few hours ago and wanted to repeat what they did last night over and over and over again. Until they'd get tired of each other and then they'd start all over again. He was craving her so much it actually hurt. And seeing her like that, knowing she was ready to own the night, killed him, since he knew he sure as hell was not part of it. Although he wanted so badly to be part of it.

And for a moment he wondered what she'd do if he said he'd come with her?

"I'll… walk you downstairs, if that's okay?" he asked and saw her nodding again.

"My cab is waiting for me already…" she announced, confirming his suspicion that she certainly was out for some fun. Penelope usually didn't drink that much, she usually was always the designated driver when they all went out.

He didn't know what come over him all of a sudden, but when they walked down the courtyard of Penelope's apartment complex and he saw her cab waiting, saw her walking next to him, shacking her tush in a somewhat hot and sexy, but not too obvious fashion, something took over. When they reached the cab and he held her door open, when she turned around for a moment, probably wanting to say goodnight, he leaned forward, pressing his lips against hers in a rather forceful manner. It was a kiss that only lasted a few moments, a kiss that had him pressing himself against her for a short moment, wanting her to show how he felt right now, what he wanted from her, from them, from_ this. _

And the rest was just hoping. Hoping for the best.

* * *

___post-A/N:_ _After each chapter I'll put a poll up on my profile where you can vote for what happens next. And I try to write a chapter with the answer that got the most votes. The poll will be up for five days, but if there is a certain trend very strongly presented I might go ahead and write a chapter before already. So basically I give you control of the story. You pick the storyline and it's development - and I write it (hopefully). So, let's see how that will work out. And thank you in advance. I'll try to give you as many 'logical' options as possible, but if any of you guys have an idea that they think should be included with the options PM me and I certainly can include it in the poll when i can see it being written somehow..._


	4. wish that life was like in the movies

_A/N: Ta-da, the next installment, I would have liked to have it up last night but it wasn't really ready then. Not sure how many more chapters will follow. I don't want to drag this out longer than necessary, but also don't want to just write one more chapter and then say 'THE END' with all of you feeling as if it was rushed. With the next poll I'll probabl let you choose the rating as far as the plot goes. =) Also, my fanfiction account apparently decided to not like me and seemed to have switched all my email notifications to 'disable' which means I'll only be able to answer last chapter's reviews with a PM. _

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She knew. Before he even knocked she knew he was outside her apartment. She couldn't say how, she certainly hadn't heard him coming, neither had she spent much time at the windows of her place to see if she'd seen his car parked somewhere. She just knew. And for a moment there was worry. She had hoped it wouldn't be so soon that they'd see each other again. She had hoped to have at least until Monday to have to face him again.

The thing is she wasn't entirely sure how to explain last night. There always had been an incredible amount of chemistry between them, sexual tension as well, but neither ever acted on it. Until last night when her hormones took over and told her to go after what she wanted. And that was him. Secretly she had always wanted him. Ever since the day she laid first eyes on him. But somehow she never wanted to push things, and neither did he. You certainly couldn't say there weren't opportunities. Oh, there were plenty, but maybe it was never supposed to be. And now, that she was single again, maybe now was the right time. Or not. She had enough friends out there who had been in love with their best friends, and when they acted finally on all the promise that was there things changed. Mostly to the worst. In the beginning things were good, they had great relationships, because they knew each other for so long. But after a while things didn't work out anymore and when the love somehow died and they parted nothing was left. It was impossible to go back to best friends, so they ended single and alone.

Penelope didn't want that to happen to her and Morgan. And maybe that was the reason all those years that she didn't act on anything. Because she had seen enough examples of failure. And maybe Morgan didn't want to go that way anyway.

When opened the door, ready to leave, hoping that by a miracle they'd miss each other somehow she found the man himself right in front of her, hand raised to knock. He looked at her for a moment, a bit surprised and after he took her in certainly even more surprised.

He seemed nervous. And in all the years she had known him he never was nervous. Derek was someone who always seemed in control: of things, situations, emotions.

"I wanted to see whether we are cool," she heard him asking after one or two tries.

She nodded, wanted to make sure he knew they were good, although deep inside her she knew things had changed, she had screwed up. Big time. But now was neither the place nor the time to discuss this. But then again Monday wasn't any better.

He wanted to walk her down, to the waiting cab and for a moment it felt like _them_. it was something he always did with her, as if he was worried during the short moment bit took to get from her place to the cab outside something might happen.

When they reached the cab, Penelope just meant to turn around quickly, letting him know they'd talk soon, but all of a sudden she felt his lips pressing against hers. At first she didn't realize what was happening. She was surprised by Derek's lips on hers to say the least. _That_ she certainly hadn't seen coming. She never had thought she actually ever get to feel those lips on hers again, especially not that soon after the initial first time. It wasn't one of these kisses dreams were made of, there certainly was a lack of romance, but she expected this wasn't about either. By the feel of his lips again hers, his way of kissing her, she knew he wanted to make a point, a statement. Whether that statement was in regards of her, him or them she wasn't really sure. Maybe he woke up this morning and didn't like the way that she had left already and this was just him now getting the last word in.

From all his stories over the years Penelope knew that usually he was the one leaving. And it certainly wasn't planned or on intention that she'd turn the tables on him, that he'd be the one waking up alone. It just … _happened_ like that. Come to think of it she found it actually rather amusing that of all the woman Derek Morgan had lured into his bed over the years it would be her, who would do the luring and then also be the one who'd leave in early hours of the 'morning after'.

When his lips left hers again there was a moment silence. He smiled at her rather awkwardly, probably having this moment pictured differently.

"Love, I don't have all day," she all of a sudden heard the cab driver saying towards her. Seeing that she was the one paying him for waiting she didn't understand what he was complaining about.

"Whatever it is you are planning to go to…" she heard Morgan saying and then stop for a moment, his voice soft and quiet. "Don't," he finished the sentence in what came out like a plea.

"This is… kind of… important," she argued softly, feeling bad the moment she said it, making it sound like her and Morgan weren't. "Not that… we aren't. I mean, we are. It's just …. I…, " she started, stumbling over her own words and was finally effectively cut off by Morgan's lips on hers again.

This time it was soft, sweet, gentle kiss, the complete opposite of the one before. He took his time, let his hands roam through her hair, pull her in a bit more. For a moment she had forgotten about where they were actually and if it hadn't been for the cab driver that would have remained a while longer the case. But his honking made both of them jump and break contact. She heard Morgan curse under his breath and a moment later she heard the rather annoyed sounding voice of the cab driver again.

"Lady, if you don't need a cab, just say so. I've got better things to do with my time then waiting for you to part from your boyfriend…" For a moment she was thinking of telling the guy that Morgan wasn't her boyfriend, but then decided to let it go. And one look at Morgan told her that maybe that was a good decision.

She saw him look at her with an odd mix of hope and expectancy as well as worry. And just like that she knew that she could go out tonight, but she wouldn't be able to relax and just have some fun, not as long as _this_ was between them.

She slammed the door shut, the cab drove off and she somehow knew that she'd probably had some explaining to do. Her brother would probably want an explanation as of why she decided last minute to not show up, but then again, some things were just more important. Even more important than seeing your brother who you'd last have seen two years ago.

"I'm all yours," she said towards Morgan and realized too late how that might have sounded. She hoped he got what she meant, but judging by the wicked grin on his handsome face he'd taken it the completely wrong way.

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___post-A/N:_ _After each chapter I'll put a poll up on my profile where you can vote for what happens next. And I try to write a chapter with the answer that got the most votes. The poll will be up for five days, but if there is a certain trend very strongly presented I might go ahead and write a chapter before already. So basically I give you control of the story. You pick the storyline and it's development - and I write it (hopefully). So, let's see how that will work out. And thank you in advance. I'll try to give you as many 'logical' options as possible, but if any of you guys have an idea that they think should be included with the options PM me and I certainly can include it in the poll when i can see it being written somehow..._


	5. And I love you, always

_A/N: Have to say I start running out of poll ideas, so I guess I'll just have one more, maybe two and that's it. Sorry. LOL Thanks to all of you, who keep reviewing and - almost even more importantly - vote. You make this story work so well... Thanks a lot, you have no idea what this means to me. And may I just say... you guys had me worried for a while... none of you wanted him seducing her for the first few days? I always assumed that everyone was all happy for some M/G M-rated action. Well... after a while that option became quite popular, but did it win the poll? Well... you'll have to read to know... Also, sorry for teh rather... strange way I am going with this in this chapter. It wasn't really planned like that, but my muse wanted to go that way and who am I to argue? Hope you'll enjoy  
_

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He knew he had one chance. One change to make things right and show her that last night was not just a onetime thing – at least not if he got his will – and that it certainly wasn't a mistake either. He guessed since Penelope didn't get in the cab in the end not everything was lost yet, but he also knew that she wouldn't make this easy either.

They made their way back to her apartment and Morgan spent all the way up there to think of how to start. He didn't really come up with anything good and useful, but he mainly blamed that one Penelope in that damn tight and short dress, who was climbing the stairs in front of him and with every step she took her skirt moved just the slightest inch upwards. By the time they were on her floor Morgan wasn't able to think anymore and images of last night flashed up in front of his inner eye and when they finally made it inside her apartment Morgan was barely able to not press her against the nearest flat surface and have his way with her. But that was _not_ how he needed this to go and he was fairly certain that having his way with Penelope would actually help his cause.

"What happened last night?" he asked bluntly, thinking too late to maybe start this differently, and judging by the way she looked at him he was certain she hadn't expected the direct approach either.

"And here I thought I was the one who had too much alcohol…" Penelope answered jokingly.

"That…that's not what I meant and you know it," Morgan replied, smiling at her, finding it actually rather adorable that she at least tried that way.

She let out a sigh, looking at him and then sat down on her couch.

"I… well… things kinda got out of hand. It was a mistake."

"Why do you think it was a mistake?" Morgan asked curious. He knew they were perfect together and there was no way she didn't. She couldn't. Not after last night and the way they had been. They were a perfect fit, in a lot of ways.

"Because you and I are not… we are not supposed to be like that," Penelope said, making Morgan look curious at her.

"Says who?"

"Us. It's just… you are my best friend, I'm yours, but … we are not like _that. _You date girls half my age and half my size, people that easily could graze magazine covers and just look stunning."

"You don't think you look stunning?" he asked surprised. For him Penelope was one of the hottest girls out there.

"I … do, but not compared to all these girls I saw parading in and out of your life over the last few years. They are…. a league of their own-kinda…"

"No, the only one who's the league of her own is you, Baby, and you should have noticed that a long time ago. I don't care if you think … you and I are not supposed to be like that, that we are not supposed to date for god knows what reason, because I know, we are… we have been working towards that point ever since we met. I don't even know where you'd get the idea of me not even wanting you that way."

"Seeing how you dated so many people that resemble me, I don't know where I'd gotten that idea either," Penelope muttered slightly sarcastic.

Morgan looked at her for a moment, slightly taken aback, before grinning.

"Well, that is mainly because I never met another woman who I wanted as badly as I wanted you," he confessed straight-faced. And for a moment Penelope almost believed it.

"Hot Stuff," she sighed after a moment's silence. "The only reason you think you want me is because I left you this morning. Since that probably never happened that you were the one waking up alone you now think you want me…" Penelope explained and if it wasn't so serious Morgan would have laughed.

"First of all I want you. I don't _think_ I want you, I know. For years. I've been trying to tell you ever since I met you, but other than spelling it out for you I think I made it pretty obvious. I don't know what Lynch did that I didn't do but you choose him over me. So I decided that maybe there was s reason you never responded to my advances. And that by going out with Lynch you just tried to let me down gentle. And then… last night happened. So maybe there's still a chance for me…. for us…. to happen."

Penelope looked at Morgan for a while, not seeming really convinced.

"You only wanted me because Kevin Lynch had me. This whole 'what one guy has the other one wants as well' thing. I tell you, your mind is playing tricks on you…"

At that stage Morgan started to really become frustrated.

"Baby Girl, why don't you stop trying to tell me what _you_ think I want and start listening to what I am saying? And more importantly start listen to this…." he said, reached for her hand and placed it right over his heart.

There was a moment silence until both heard a knock on the door. Penelope pulled her hand quickly away, grateful for whoever interrupted them. Morgan on the other hand felt like shooting whoever was on the other side of that door.

He somehow didn't understand why Penelope had such a hard time seeing that he wanted her. Badly. Maybe he really should have spelt it out to her the first time he saw her almost eight years ago. That could have saved them a lot of time.

"You know… I am really looking forward to whatever excuse you'll give me now for why I was waiting for almost half an hour without you showing," Morgan heard all of a sudden a deep male voice filling the room. Great, now Penelope's date was showing up. This night officially couldn't get any worse. "Preston," Penelope only said, before Morgan heard the male voice interrupting her.

"You know I am used to it from Parker, but he I'll see rather regularly. You on the other hand I only see every once in a blue moon," he heard the guy going on, and a moment later Morgan saw him entering the apartment, looking amused despite his words. "So that excuse better be good… " he went on, before seeing Morgan and stopping abruptly.

He looked at Morgan for a moment, before smiling at him somewhat sympathetically.

"Oh boy, I've only s ever seen two guys with expressions like that one before," he said, pointing towards Morgan and quickly to Penelope, just to look back to Morgan.

"One was Jimmy Thatttler on the day you told him you were moving from San Diego to San Francisco. The other one was that guy you were dating during your last year in High School He had that face when you told him you couldn't see each other anymore because you were vegetarian now and he… wasn't. I think mom was so proud of you that day. How long did your vegetarian phase last again? Four months?" Preston asked jokingly, smiling bat Penelope, who just grumbled something Morgan didn't quiet catch.

"You broke both these guys hearts and I am sure there were more than just these two," he smiled at Penelope, who didn't seem to happy at this moment, before turning his attention back to Morgan. "And judging by the expression your face, my friend, my sister stroke again. And you look like you've been fallen badly for her…"

His sister? Morgan wondered. Was this… did that mean…?

At that moment Morgan realized that Penelope hadn't been on her way to some date, but to meet her brother, who apparently was a lot more perceptive of things than his sister seemed to be.

* * *

___post-A/N:_ _After each chapter I'll put a poll up on my profile where you can vote for what happens next. And I try to write a chapter with the answer that got the most votes. The poll will be up for five days, but if there is a certain trend very strongly presented I might go ahead and write a chapter before already. So basically I give you control of the story. You pick the storyline and it's development - and I write it (hopefully). So, let's see how that will work out. And thank you in advance. _


	6. you want commitment

_A/N: Thank you all for restoring my faith in you LOL For a moment while writting this I was worried I might have to cut this part in two chapters, but I barely made it below 3000words. So... I figured I can leave it as just one. __There's just one more poll left..._

There were only a few things Penelope could trust blindfolded in this life: her best friend Derek Morgan, her female intuition and her brother's judgments. Right now she wasn't sure about either of them. There were strange, mixed signals.

Under normal circumstances she would have gone with the odds. Two out of three was not bad and probably worked for her favor. But somehow her female intuition was never wrong – if you disregard Jason Battle, or the whole Kevin Lynch phase, as well as that ex-boyfriend a few years back who turned into some sort of a stalker ... and okay, maybe whenever it came to guys her female intuition kind of sucked. This left her only with Derek Morgan and her brother's judgment, who both seemed to unintentionally agree with each other.

She had given up pinning after Derek Morgan a long time ago, technically she probably never really started, because she knew that would end nowhere really. It wasn't that she thought she couldn't stand a chance against all the long-legged beauties in Derek's life, she just thought up until now that he wasn't interested in her that way – that they were one of these kinds of people who were better of being friends. But after last night, Morgan's little speech earlier and her brother's quick observation Penelope wasn't so sure whether that could still be applied. And whether maybe she had just been too scared over the years and was lying to herself in regards of moving things further.

"Maybe I should have called to check on you…" Preston all of a sudden said warily, noticing that something definitely was about to happen and he wasn't sure whether he really wanted to be around when it happened, whatever _it_ was.

"How about we… um… we postpone for tomorrow and agree that if you can't make it again, you'll at least call me?" he suggested after there was no reaction from anyone whatsoever. AT his suggestion he at least got a nod from his sister which he also took as his cue to leave. "So I'll see you at the same place, same time tomorrow…." he said before leaving, and decided he'd just sent her a text or call her at some later stage…

When the door feel in its lock and her brother had left her apartment Penelope felt like he somehow knew more at this stage then she did, but then again he seemed to know a whole lot more altogether when it came to what was going on. There was a long silence at which she noticed Morgan starring at her more or less and her just looking anyplace but at him.

"So that was your… brother?" she heard him asking after a little while longer. She just nodded at him.

"Technically half-brother, but…. yeah," she smiled and Morgan grinned – a fact that irritated her, mainly because she wasn't sure why he was grinning.

"The half would maybe explain why he was able to see something right away that you have been ignoring for quite a while…"

There was another long silence, mainly because Penelope didn't know what to say, or what to do next, and Morgan assumed she needed maybe a bit of time getting used to the idea of _them_. Not that there was any _them_ at this stage, at least not right now, but before he'd leave here tonight he would everything he could to change that.

"You know… he was right…" Morgan all of a sudden said softly.

"Right about what?" Penelope asked, not entirely sure to what he was referring to.

"About me, having fallen badly. I have quite a while ago, but somehow you never seemed to have noticed…" he smiled at her.

"Well… you kind of didn't really make it that obvious," Penelope defended herself.

At that Morgan needed to laugh for a moment.

"Not obvious? How many other women have you met who I called Baby Girl, or Goddess? Or who I was as close to as to you?"

"Um… well…." Penelope started, stopped to think for a moment, before picking up her thought. "You slept with quite a large number… So… I guess you were close to quite a lot of them, although more in the literal way than the… um…emotional one…." Penelope babbled and Morgan couldn't stop grinning.

"You start sounding an awful lot like Reid there, Baby Girl. And the only reason why I slept with all these girls is only to distract myself from you…"

"Well… that's a very convenient excuse…" Penelope laughed at him, at which Morgan did a few steps towards her.

"Not an excuse if it is the truth," he replied, making another few steps until he stood right in front of her. "You don't even have the smallest clue of how amazing you are, Penelope, do you? How easy it is to fall in love with you, but how damn hard to fall out of love again with you…" Morgan said, in a voice just barely above a whisper and a second later his lips captured her lips in a soft, gentle kiss. It was like a test, to see if he had finally gotten through to her. And when he felt her respond he knew he had.

"I swear to God, Derek Morgan..." Penelope whispered in between kisses, "if you break my heart... I'll kick your butt and you won't know what hit you…" and just a moment later her lips were captured in another kiss. A kiss that seemed to last forever and had her loose herself in it.

"I'll have to let you know, Baby Girl, I don't plan on breaking it, I'll just steal it and never give it back," he smiled against her lips, which made her smile as well.

"Well… then it's only fair if I do the same with yours, don't you agree?"

"Absolutely…" came Morgan's reply just before he dove in for another head-turning kiss. "And speaking of fairness…." Morgan went on, and just a moment later Penelope felt being lifted, which made her yelp in surprise. "After you had your way with me last night it would only be fair to return that favor as well, don't you agree?" he asked, but before Penelope even had a chance of answering his lips were on hers again and she was carried to what she could only assume was her bedroom.

Being let down on the mattress, Penelope knew she wouldn't get my say in this, no matter what she'd tell him. Unless of course it would be 'no' but there was no way on earth she'd say no. Not with knowing he really wanted her as much as she wanted him all these years. And if the rather dizzy memories of last night were any indication this would be getting very hot very soon.

Her dress was gone first, which didn't surprise her much. Next to follow were her heels and he took an awful long amount of time in getting her out of her bra – where Penelope wasn't entirely sure whether that was intended or just him fumbling with the clasp of said underwear.

When he finally had her out of her bra Morgan spent a rather large amount of time kissing his way down from her jaw to where the lace of her panties started, running his hands up and down her arms and sides. A moment later she felt him push her arms up, while thrusting his tongue into her mouth, getting several deep moans out of her for that.

When he stopped the assault of her mouth, Penelope had to notice that she couldn't move her hands and a look up told her Morgan seemed to have found another use for her earlier discarded bra – using it to tie her to one of her beds post's.

"Just in case you were thinking of running," Morgan grinned at her when he followed her stare.

"Trust me, sugar, _that_ was the last thing on my mind right now…"

She saw Morgan grinning it her and slowly started to get out of his clothes as well. First that joined her dress on her bedroom floor was his shirt, that revealed his perfectly toned upper body and skin she was desperate to touch, but couldn't. She would have liked to run her hand slowly over his abs, his chest, his upper arms, tracing every thin line of these tattoos which graced them. But maybe some other time…

Next went his jeans, leaving him only in his boxers, which already sported a rather impressive erection and made Penelope gulp for a moment. Despite her having slept with him just maybe a bit less than 24 hours ago, she couldn't remember he had been _that_ well equipped, but then again she couldn't really remember an awful lot to begin with. Well… they certainly made it work _somehow_, and she certainly wouldn't back out of this now, not when she already felt like combusting. And the fact that he actually hadn't really done much to her didn't go unnoticed by her either. She wondered what would happen a few miles down that road, when he actually would start getting her really going? Probably the flame of passion would just burn her completely…. Not that it wouldn't be worth this.

When she felt the mattress dip and is heated skin covering hers just a moment later, Penelope felt a strange sensation coming over her, heat covering her body all of a sudden and every nerve in her body seemed to be on alert, anxiously awaiting what would happen next.

She felt his lips starting to kiss another trail down her neck, over her shoulders, down her chest, paying particular attention to her breasts, circling each nipple with his tongue before sucking on them tightly, biting softly down and moving on with his trail down her body. When he reached the lacy barrier that was left between them, it took him just a split second and a soft yank before that last piece of garment was gone as well and he was finally able to enjoy every single and glorious delicious inch of her.

He knew the last of the barriers between them was him, in his boxer shorts, but he didn't want to remove this just yet. He wanted to feast on her a while longer, savoring on her for just a few moments more. Morgan knew getting out of his underwear and lying on top of her just wouldn't allow him that. Something would take over, most likely his libido, and would move things further along, not giving him time to cherish this moment to its fullest. He was a guy after all and Penelope was the woman he had wanted ever since he had first laid eyes on her. He didn't want this to be over in just a few moments, he had so many ideas in his mind of what to do with her. She was his goddess and he would spend quite some time worshipping her.

Penelope didn't know how long he kissed his way up and down her body, making sure every inch was covered in kisses, but if he didn't move on to something else she feared she might pass out long before the main event. Eventually he seemed to have gotten her message and slight frustration, since she saw him remove himself from her and get out of his boxers.

He locked his lips with hers once more, claiming her mouth with his tongue, mirroring it's movements with his thrusts. Morgan felt Penelope struggle, pulling at her restraint, moaning frustratingly into the kiss when realizing there was no way she'd get rid of her ties anytime soon.

"This is my show to run, Baby," he mumbled against her lips in between kisses, hearing her moan somewhat frustratingly as well as impatiently.

While his tongue kept thrusting deep and hard and quick in and out and back in her mouth his lower region did the exact opposite: Slow, soft and inch by inch in and out and back in. At some point her moaning sounded quite threatening actually and if he hadn't tied that bra around her wrists really tight he was sure she'd be breaking free of that any minute if her yanking was any indication.

Eventually he had mercy on her.

And who would guess his Baby Girl would be _that_ noisy in bed. If he remembered correctly she hadn't been last night, but then again wasn't she tied to his bed either. That might have saved them a whole lot of time today come to think of it.

Shortly after she came, he followed, collapsing against her rather spent, their sweat slicked skin sticking together liked glued paper. They lay like this for a while, not saying a word, their heavy breathing the only sound that filled the otherwise quiet room, until Penelope pulled several few times hard on her restraints, making some noise and reminding Morgan to untie her.

"You won't give up the fight, will you?" he asked with a grin, while trying to untie her.

"No, and admit it, you wouldn't have it any other way. I'm not the easily submissive kind of girl and you know it...," Penelope replied, smiling up at him.

Morgan tried freeing Penelope for several moments, until he looked down at her expectant face.

"Baby… I hate to break it to you, but I guess in order to free you, I'll have to cut you out of it more or less…."

"That's an 80$ bra…." Penelope simply replied.

"Well… if you hadn't pulled so hard…" Morgan tried arguing, getting up and walking towards her kitchen, not even bothering getting dressed.

Penelope looked somewhat longingly after him until he disappeared around the corner and she lost sight. A moment later he came back into sight, looking like a man who knew he looked good, walking with a certain self-confidence and carrying a pair of scissors.

"I'll promise you I'll buy you a new one. Seeing I was partly at fault… As a matter of fact, why don't I come with you?" he asked, a wicked grin on his face.

A moment later Penelope heard the scissors cutting through the silk and lace of her bra and her hands finally being free.

"Why don't we…." Morgan started, but didn't get any further when Penelope threw herself at him, making him lose balance and fall back into the cushions with Penelope on top of him, marking this as just the beginning of their night. And Morgan knew that when they eventually would get to sleep that night and he would wake up tomorrow, he certainly wouldn't wake up alone again. As a matter of fact he planned on never waking up alone again for the rest of his life, unless he was out of town due to a case.

_post- A/N: After each chapter I'll put a poll up on my profile where you can vote for what happens next. And I try to write a chapter with the answer that got the most votes. The poll will be up for five days, but if there is a certain trend very strongly presented I might go ahead and write a chapter before already. So basically I give you control of the story. And thank you in advance. _


	7. epilogue

_A/N's: So ... this is it. The Epilogue. I would like to say thank you to all you wonderful people for making this such a success. if you hadn't voted, I wouldn't have been abale to write this. And although every single poll before was pretty obvious with its results, you guys didn't seem to really agree on the perfect ending, since out of the five possible options four actually all got the same amount of votes. So I tried to make it an 'all-around' epilogue. Hope you like it as much as the rest of the story and thank you again! You guys seriously ROCK. And by the way... I think the bra thing from the previous chapter is THE MOST commented thing I ever wrote. Thank you for that. Somehow it makes me smile...  
_

_I promise my next story will get my frequent updates. I have plenty of finished ones on my hard-drive. LOL_

* * *

_Several years later_

When Morgan had told her – very effectively – that night many years ago that this was more for him than just a one night thing, Penelope couldn't have known just how much he meant it. She somehow had expected that after a few weeks, maybe months he would come to his senses and realize that they wouldn't work out like he had thought. But weeks turned into months, which turned into years. Six month anniversaries turned into one year anniversaries- On their second anniversary he proposed, down on one knee in front of her, presenting her with the most perfect ring she'd ever seen – just like the movies. They got married in spring, in front of all their friends and family. JJ and Emily were her bridesmaids, while Hotch and Rossi were his best men.

Their first year marriage anniversary turned into two, which turned into three and by the time they celebrated their fourth year, they were proud parents of two daughters and a son. Their first daughter was born two years into their marriage. The twins received one and a half years after that.

"You know, sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky…" Morgan murmured softly against his wife's neck.

"Yeah I wonder about that as well," Penelope smiled at him.

Morgan decided to take that moment to softly bite down on his wife, which made her yelp in surprise.

"You know exactly that is no way of escaping me, woman," Morgan laughed and curled a lock around his finger before he kissed her lips.

"Hm…. well, on our first night you tied me to the bed with my bra. I guess that was a very effective method of stopping me to leave…" Penelope agreed after his lips left hers again.

"And I would do it again and again and …." he placed another kiss on her lips. "and again…"

"You know…" Penelope started softly…" You never actually replaced my bra…"

For a moment Morgan looked at his wife, thinking, weighing his options.

"Didn't I?" he asked, at which Penelope just shook her head.

"How about…" he stared to suggest, locking his lips with her neck and being grateful that their kids were at their grandmothers' in Chicago for the week. "…. we find us some more of your underwear you wouldn't be too sad about when you …. needed to get … cut out of it again and I treat you to whatever you like come Monday?"

Instead of answering, Penelope just smiled, saw him get up and hold out his hands to her to pull her up from the couch before pulling her with him to the bedroom.

The scissors he already had in his bedside table. Just in case.

***-*-*-*-* THE END *-*-*-*-***


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